saw bits and pieces of Putin's response at the presser dealing with the SMO's progress and "logic" that IMO is best read in its entirety:
I have a question for the President of Russia. The question will not be short, but the situation is multifactorial. Therefore, the issue will also be multifactorial.
Mr President, you said that you told the President of Belarus about the course of the special operation. Could you tell us now what you think about the progress of the special operation right now?
In this regard, another question: what do you think about the course of the negotiations that are taking place between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations? Also in this regard, because everything is in connection with this: the story of Bucha, with Kramatorsk – it is obvious that most of the world refuses to accept the logic of Russian explanations of what is happening there. Tell me, please, what is your logic here?
Yesterday, the Chancellor of Austria said that you live in the logic of military operations, in the logic of war. And then it's not up to negotiations. Tell me, please, what is your logic?
Vladimir Putin: The course of the special military operation is proceeding according to plan. Of course, I look closely at the discussions that are taking place in our society, abroad, we should not close anything from the public, not hide anything, but we should cover this combat work objectively.
First of all, answering your question, I would like to express my gratitude to Russian soldiers and officers, soldiers of Russia for the heroism and courage they show in serving our Fatherland. And that's exactly what it is. Performing complex and dangerous tasks in the Donbas and Ukraine, our servicemen protect the interests of Russia, protect Russia.
The President of Belarus did not just say and I said even before the start of the operation that a clash with those forces that were brought up, nurtured by the West in Ukraine, a clash with extreme nationalists and neo-Nazis in Ukraine is inevitable, it is only a matter of time. They are preparing and waiting in the wings, and we, as I said at the time, will not allow them to do so. This is the logic of our actions.
What is happening in Ukraine – and Ukrainians, even in today's tragic conditions, I want to say that this is a fraternal people. First, it arose in the XIX century, Ukrainian nationalism. As we know, it was supported on the eve of the First World War primarily by the Austrian General Staff. Why? Divide and conquer is a well-known logic. To divide the Russian people, and then to eat them up piece by piece.
The same thing happened during World War II. As we know, both the Polish pogroms and the Jewish pogroms – the perpetrators of these pogroms were not the Germans themselves, but the SS Galicia Division, the Banderites and so on – all this pro-fascist bastard. They destroyed the civilian population: the Russians were massacred, the Jews, and the Poles.
Everybody knows that. And now we see on the frames of ukrainian newsreels, when in the combat zone in the Donbass there are people with SS patches "Galicia". This shows that we did the right thing in time and correctly, starting this operation, otherwise there would have been even more of them.
As for the very course of the operation, and I often hear questions about whether it is possible to quickly. It is possible, it depends on the intensity of hostilities, and the intensity of hostilities, unfortunately, is somehow connected with losses. Our task is to achieve all the set goals, minimizing these losses. And we will act rhythmically, calmly, according to the plan that was originally proposed by the General Staff. I've said this many times before. Now there is no need to repeat all this during the press conference.
Actions in certain regions of Ukraine were connected only with the sake of shackling forces, striking and destroying the military infrastructure, creating conditions for more active actions in the territory of Donbass. And the purpose of our entire operation, I want to recall what I said in the early morning of February 24, our goal is to help people living in donbass who feel their inseparable connection with Russia and who have been subjected to genocide for eight years. The only question is how...
Alexander Lukashenko: Today is the occupation by Ukraine, you said.
Vladimir Putin: Yes, and the occupation by Ukraine. After the recognition of their independence, this is true. That's the way things are. The operation is going according to plan.
Now as for our logic. The logic is simple. After all, both in the period of preparation for the First World War and during the Great Patriotic War, a certain part of the Ukrainian people and Ukrainian society, especially those associated with Western ideology, were used against Russia. And today, in our days, they are also trying to use.
Those people who stand in military uniforms with SS "Galicia" patches are just scumbags. But there are others who sympathize with them, do not consider themselves Nazis, but consider themselves nationalists. But they must also understand that the main goal is not to help Ukraine from the West. Ukraine is a means to achieve goals that have nothing to do with the interests of the Ukrainian people. This is the problem and this is our logic of actions in Donbass and Ukraine as a whole.
As for Buchi... Well, look, I've talked to my colleagues from Western countries often, to this day, and when they say "Bucha" to me, I ask: Have you ever been to Raqqa? Have you seen how this Syrian city was completely destroyed from above by American aircraft?
There, indeed, corpses in the ruins lay and decompose for months. No one cared, no one even noticed, just as no one remembers the hundreds of civilians killed in Afghanistan, when a hundred or more hundred people at weddings were killed in one blow. Silence! There was no such silence when provocations were staged in Syria, when the use of chemical weapons by the Assad government was depicted. Then it turned out that it was a fake, the same fake in Bucha.
Alexander Grigoryevich gave me documents today, and he mentioned in passing the documents that were transferred to the Federal Security Service of Russia, how, who – colleagues have the appropriate interceptions – what transport he used to come to this settlement and created conditions for organizing this provocation and fake.
Now as for the negotiations. Look, we have reached a certain level of agreements in Istanbul, which consisted in the fact that security guarantees for Ukraine, and the Ukrainian side pronounces very strict security guarantees for itself, will not apply to the territory of Crimea, Sevastopol and Donbass.
Then, as you have seen, our actions to create conditions for the continuation of the contractual process followed. Instead, we saw, faced a provocation in Bucha, and, most importantly, the Ukrainian side withdrew from its agreements in Istanbul. Now security requirements are one thing, and the issues of regulating relations over Crimea, Sevastopol and Donbass are taken out of the framework of these agreements. That is, we have returned to a deadlock for ourselves and for all of us.
True, I was told that last night the Ukrainian side changed something again. I don't know these changes yet. But such inconsistency on fundamental issues creates certain difficulties for reaching final agreements acceptable to all on the negotiating track. And until this happens, the military operation will continue until its complete completion and the solution of the tasks that were set at the beginning of this operation.
As for the united West, you know, this has long been noticeable. I think that the media also see this very well. It's just indecent to talk about it.
Such consolidation, what is it connected with? With Europe's hurtful, humiliating position towards its sovereign, the United States. After all, remember, once about one, I will not name names now, of the former prime ministers of Great Britain, his own press wrote and called him "the poodle of the President of the United States." Isn't that a shame?
But almost all the leaders of European states are in the same offensive position in the fact of life, but they cannot say about it. It's unpleasant to talk about it, it's embarrassing. And here is Russia's aggression, a single common enemy. It is very convenient to unite here and serve the interests of the United States. And they have always been serviced, but now it is possible to do this with an open visor, making decisions that benefit the United States, including in the economic sphere, but explaining this by the need to repel the aggressor. That's what I think is really happening right now.
But the public of these countries was particularly confronted with the problems that are created in the course of pursuing such a political line. Yes, such a general mood, anti-Russian hysteria makes itself felt, but time will put everything in its place, I assure you. When people are faced with rising prices for gasoline, for food, with an unprecedented increase in inflation, this will affect internal political processes.
They really wanted everything that is happening to affect the internal political processes in the Russian Federation. They always calculate, not realizing that in difficult conditions the Russian people, the Russian people always unite. They'll see it, and they're going to have problems. They want to create these problems for us, and they do. Yes, it will not be easy in some industries, but we will cope with these difficulties.
Hopefully, barflies will read what Putin says about his "logic" and not scroll past. Russia will stay its course and the SMO will eventually conclude while the deNazification procedure will last generations. Of course, there's still the unacceptable issue of N
saw bits and pieces of Putin's response at the presser dealing with the SMO's progress and "logic" that IMO is best read in its entirety:
I have a question for the President of Russia. The question will not be short, but the situation is multifactorial. Therefore, the issue will also be multifactorial.
Mr President, you said that you told the President of Belarus about the course of the special operation. Could you tell us now what you think about the progress of the special operation right now?
In this regard, another question: what do you think about the course of the negotiations that are taking place between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations? Also in this regard, because everything is in connection with this: the story of Bucha, with Kramatorsk – it is obvious that most of the world refuses to accept the logic of Russian explanations of what is happening there. Tell me, please, what is your logic here?
Yesterday, the Chancellor of Austria said that you live in the logic of military operations, in the logic of war. And then it's not up to negotiations. Tell me, please, what is your logic?
Vladimir Putin: The course of the special military operation is proceeding according to plan. Of course, I look closely at the discussions that are taking place in our society, abroad, we should not close anything from the public, not hide anything, but we should cover this combat work objectively.
First of all, answering your question, I would like to express my gratitude to Russian soldiers and officers, soldiers of Russia for the heroism and courage they show in serving our Fatherland. And that's exactly what it is. Performing complex and dangerous tasks in the Donbas and Ukraine, our servicemen protect the interests of Russia, protect Russia.
The President of Belarus did not just say and I said even before the start of the operation that a clash with those forces that were brought up, nurtured by the West in Ukraine, a clash with extreme nationalists and neo-Nazis in Ukraine is inevitable, it is only a matter of time. They are preparing and waiting in the wings, and we, as I said at the time, will not allow them to do so. This is the logic of our actions.
What is happening in Ukraine – and Ukrainians, even in today's tragic conditions, I want to say that this is a fraternal people. First, it arose in the XIX century, Ukrainian nationalism. As we know, it was supported on the eve of the First World War primarily by the Austrian General Staff. Why? Divide and conquer is a well-known logic. To divide the Russian people, and then to eat them up piece by piece.
The same thing happened during World War II. As we know, both the Polish pogroms and the Jewish pogroms – the perpetrators of these pogroms were not the Germans themselves, but the SS Galicia Division, the Banderites and so on – all this pro-fascist bastard. They destroyed the civilian population: the Russians were massacred, the Jews, and the Poles.
Everybody knows that. And now we see on the frames of ukrainian newsreels, when in the combat zone in the Donbass there are people with SS patches "Galicia". This shows that we did the right thing in time and correctly, starting this operation, otherwise there would have been even more of them.
As for the very course of the operation, and I often hear questions about whether it is possible to quickly. It is possible, it depends on the intensity of hostilities, and the intensity of hostilities, unfortunately, is somehow connected with losses. Our task is to achieve all the set goals, minimizing these losses. And we will act rhythmically, calmly, according to the plan that was originally proposed by the General Staff. I've said this many times before. Now there is no need to repeat all this during the press conference.
Actions in certain regions of Ukraine were connected only with the sake of shackling forces, striking and destroying the military infrastructure, creating conditions for more active actions in the territory of Donbass. And the purpose of our entire operation, I want to recall what I said in the early morning of February 24, our goal is to help people living in donbass who feel their inseparable connection with Russia and who have been subjected to genocide for eight years. The only question is how...
Alexander Lukashenko: Today is the occupation by Ukraine, you said.
Vladimir Putin: Yes, and the occupation by Ukraine. After the recognition of their independence, this is true. That's the way things are. The operation is going according to plan.
Now as for our logic. The logic is simple. After all, both in the period of preparation for the First World War and during the Great Patriotic War, a certain part of the Ukrainian people and Ukrainian society, especially those associated with Western ideology, were used against Russia. And today, in our days, they are also trying to use.
Those people who stand in military uniforms with SS "Galicia" patches are just scumbags. But there are others who sympathize with them, do not consider themselves Nazis, but consider themselves nationalists. But they must also understand that the main goal is not to help Ukraine from the West. Ukraine is a means to achieve goals that have nothing to do with the interests of the Ukrainian people. This is the problem and this is our logic of actions in Donbass and Ukraine as a whole.
As for Buchi... Well, look, I've talked to my colleagues from Western countries often, to this day, and when they say "Bucha" to me, I ask: Have you ever been to Raqqa? Have you seen how this Syrian city was completely destroyed from above by American aircraft?
There, indeed, corpses in the ruins lay and decompose for months. No one cared, no one even noticed, just as no one remembers the hundreds of civilians killed in Afghanistan, when a hundred or more hundred people at weddings were killed in one blow. Silence! There was no such silence when provocations were staged in Syria, when the use of chemical weapons by the Assad government was depicted. Then it turned out that it was a fake, the same fake in Bucha.
Alexander Grigoryevich gave me documents today, and he mentioned in passing the documents that were transferred to the Federal Security Service of Russia, how, who – colleagues have the appropriate interceptions – what transport he used to come to this settlement and created conditions for organizing this provocation and fake.
Now as for the negotiations. Look, we have reached a certain level of agreements in Istanbul, which consisted in the fact that security guarantees for Ukraine, and the Ukrainian side pronounces very strict security guarantees for itself, will not apply to the territory of Crimea, Sevastopol and Donbass.
Then, as you have seen, our actions to create conditions for the continuation of the contractual process followed. Instead, we saw, faced a provocation in Bucha, and, most importantly, the Ukrainian side withdrew from its agreements in Istanbul. Now security requirements are one thing, and the issues of regulating relations over Crimea, Sevastopol and Donbass are taken out of the framework of these agreements. That is, we have returned to a deadlock for ourselves and for all of us.
True, I was told that last night the Ukrainian side changed something again. I don't know these changes yet. But such inconsistency on fundamental issues creates certain difficulties for reaching final agreements acceptable to all on the negotiating track. And until this happens, the military operation will continue until its complete completion and the solution of the tasks that were set at the beginning of this operation.
As for the united West, you know, this has long been noticeable. I think that the media also see this very well. It's just indecent to talk about it.
Such consolidation, what is it connected with? With Europe's hurtful, humiliating position towards its sovereign, the United States. After all, remember, once about one, I will not name names now, of the former prime ministers of Great Britain, his own press wrote and called him "the poodle of the President of the United States." Isn't that a shame?
But almost all the leaders of European states are in the same offensive position in the fact of life, but they cannot say about it. It's unpleasant to talk about it, it's embarrassing. And here is Russia's aggression, a single common enemy. It is very convenient to unite here and serve the interests of the United States. And they have always been serviced, but now it is possible to do this with an open visor, making decisions that benefit the United States, including in the economic sphere, but explaining this by the need to repel the aggressor. That's what I think is really happening right now.
But the public of these countries was particularly confronted with the problems that are created in the course of pursuing such a political line. Yes, such a general mood, anti-Russian hysteria makes itself felt, but time will put everything in its place, I assure you. When people are faced with rising prices for gasoline, for food, with an unprecedented increase in inflation, this will affect internal political processes.
They really wanted everything that is happening to affect the internal political processes in the Russian Federation. They always calculate, not realizing that in difficult conditions the Russian people, the Russian people always unite. They'll see it, and they're going to have problems. They want to create these problems for us, and they do. Yes, it will not be easy in some industries, but we will cope with these difficulties.
Hopefully, barflies will read what Putin says about his "logic" and not scroll past. Russia will stay its course and the SMO will eventually conclude while the deNazification procedure will last generations. Of course, there's still the unacceptable issue of N